


The Dragon's friend

by iloveitblue



Series: Prompts [365]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Dragon!phil, Human!Clint, M/M, Modern Setting, SHIELD still exists, meet cute, sort of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-13
Updated: 2016-08-30
Packaged: 2018-06-02 01:52:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6545716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iloveitblue/pseuds/iloveitblue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The one where Phil is a dragon who's lived through lifetime after lifetime.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Phil Coulson was the last remaining dragon. That’s probably why SHIELD and Nick Fury was so determined to get him to join them. 

When he was younger he actually thought that Fury only wanted to imprison him, which was why he was so set on defying the man but Fury surprised him by actually befriending him. They’d spend afternoons talking about anything that wasn’t SHIELD and soon enough, Phil joined SHIELD all on his own. 

Fury stood by his word and treated Phil like any of his agents. But with Phil’s “special ability” and _years_  of experience dealing with humans in general, he quickly rose through the ranks. 

It was the most fun he’s had in decades.

—

The thing Phil loved about being a SHIELD agent were the suits he got to wear. That’s why he absolutely hated getting them ruined. He’d be pissed off for the rest of the day every time it happened and he pitied the poor soul who had the guts to talk to him.

So when potential asset Hawkeye still refused to come in to SHIELD peacefully after multiple attempts, Phil couldn’t be blamed that he was a bit piss-y. It was raining for fuck’s sake. and he had to chase the motherfucker down fifteen blocks. Do you have any idea how ruined his suit was after all that? 

Very.

He was sure he was going to break protocol and end up killing the bastard. 

That is, until he saw the man’s face.

He’d never forget that face. He’s spent literal decades trying to find that face again.

The face of the first human he’s ever loved.

He was a boy then. A young boy who lost his way and found Phil’s cave. Phil was young back then too. Barely a hundred, even. That’s practically a teenager in dragon years. 

Unlike most humans Phil had met before, Clint wasn’t afraid of him or his abilities. In fact, it made Phil even more interesting to Clint. 

‘ _He’s a weird one.’_  Phil remembered thinking. 

And still, no matter what Phil did to scare the young boy away, Clint stayed. Years passed and they continued their unusual friendship, up until Phil had to watch his friend be enlisted in a petty war between kingdoms. 

Phil tried to stop him but that ended with them arguing. It was the last time he ever saw that face.

Until today, that is.

“Clint,” was the only word Phil could utter. The man looked exactly the same the last time Phil saw him. Funny, the old Clint looked just as angry too.

This Clint, Hawkeye, his step faltered when he heard the name. “How-”

“It’s me.” 

“I’ve never seen you in my life, you asshole.” Hawkeye bit back.

“To be fair, I haven’t seen you your past few lives.” He should really stop talking. SHIELD was listening.

“What are you talking about?”

“Come to SHIELD.”

“I’d rather die.” Hawkeye hissed.

“It’s the best place for you. Trust me on this.” Phil said to him, inching closer, like you would a scared wounded animal.

“Trust you?”

“Yes. Trust me.”

“I don’t even know you.” 

“Fine then, look deep into my eyes and tell me that you can’t trust me. I know that even after all these years, you still trust me. If you don’t, you’re free to walk away and I’ll do everything in my power to stop SHIELD from following you” Phil promised despite the voices in his ear telling him not to do it. He ignored them all.

Clint stared at him long and hard - oh, how Phil has missed those blue eyes - scrutinizing every feature on Phil’s human form. Phil knew him well though, he knew that Clint would make the right decision. He’d come into SHIELD with Phil. Clint trusted Phil. It’s how things are meant to be.

“I don’t trust you.” Clint said before jumping over the railing. 

Phil ran towards the edge and looked over to find Clint safely on the ground, running away. 

He sighed. 

He did not expect this. 

—

After the earful that Phil got from Fury was over - two hours too long if you asked Phil. He might be immortal, but he still knew the value of time - he sat back in his chair with a sigh. 

That’s when Sitwell came knocking the door open. He insisted that Phil come to the interrogation room _now_  and with that level of enthusiasm, who could say no?

Sat _inside_  one of _SHIELD’s_ interrogation room was one Clint Barton. He was playing with a butterfly knife and they didn’t bother cuffing him. Phil stood behind the two way glass dumbfounded. 

He was still formulating something, anything, to ask Sitwell when Clint looked directly at him, despite the glass standing in the way, and smirked. 

“Don’t make me regret trusting you.”

Phil couldn’t stop his smile even if he wanted to.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At first Clint didn’t understand it. 

He did what Coulson wanted him to do, he joined SHIELD (god knows why), so why the hell was the man hovering around him? Phil was trying to be subtle about it but years of being alone has taught Clint to be sharp; to know when someone was watching.

And, Phil, he was definitely watching. 

“Do we have a problem?” Clint asked just as he burst into Phil’s office one day. 

Phil looked up at him, tilted his head - which really shouldn’t look adorable at all, but totally was - and asked, “I beg your pardon?”

See? Manners. Why was Clint even attracted to this guy? He even isn’t anything like the usual trashy, douche (or bitchy - Clint’s not really picky) he usually goes for. 

“Why have you been lurking around me?”

“Lurking?”

Clint threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. “Yes, lurking! That thing you do where you follow me and think I don’t notice? What? Do you think I’m going to do something to double cross SHIELD or something? Because if you do, I can tell you right now that this isn’t going to work out. I know where my loyalties lie, Coulson. And it’s to no one but myself.”

Phil was silent for a moment, probably not expecting the outburst from the archer, before he leaned forward. “I’m sorry I made you feel uncomfortable. I was just worried about how you’d acclimate to this type of organization. I know you prefer working alone. I won’t do it again. I promise.” 

“Well, um, thanks. I guess.” Clint said, feeling a little at loss for words, he expected Phil to fight him on this, insisting that it’s protocol or some bullshit like that, but he didn’t. Phil simply apologized and promised never to do it again. 

What the hell?

—

More weird things Clint hasn’t experienced before started happening. Things like, having friends to talk to on a regular basis, having a room that he comes back to every night when he isn’t on a mission, being able to actually complain about his food (SHIELD mess offers free food for its agents and are often bland and greyish but nutritious.) These things were not unwelcome, of course. It’s just weird for Clint to have something so routine. 

What’s weirder than any of that though was Phil Coulson. The man demanded respect when he walked into a room full of agents, but was almost shy and nervous when alone with Clint. He left no room for error when on the field but was clumsy and a dork when he’s within the four walls of his office. He’s stern but kind. He was both a stranger to Clint and someone Clint closely identified with home. The contradictions made Clint’s head spin.

And then, there were the gifts. 

These weren’t extravagant gifts, mostly just knick-knacks that Phil found during a mission. One was a snow globe that one time he went to the northern part of Japan. Another was a key chain of a violin from Portland. Another was the head of an arrow that Phil found during a trip somewhere classified. They were far from valuable and Clint didn’t really need any of it but when he asked Phil about it the man just shrugged and said that they reminded him of Clint. 

That made it valuable than any gem in the planet. 

But of course, Clint told no one this. 

The weirdest thing though about Phil Coulson was the amount of trust he put in Clint. There were probably a handful of agents more qualified than Clint was on the few missions that they were together, but there was no one that Phil trusted more than Clint. 

It was kind of overwhelming. 

—

Just as Clint was getting used to the idea of having all of what he had, reality decided to to be a surly bitch and threw him Natasha Romanov. 

His orders were to kill her. To kill the Black Widow. Phil trusted him with that job, and if there was anything Clint valued the most in his life at the moment, it was Phil Coulson’s trust. 

One look at the woman, standing tall among the bodies of her victims, he knew how defeated she felt. How she stood in the open, just waiting to die. And Clint, he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t kill her. So instead, he brought her in. 

—

Clint doesn’t remember feeling this horrible, this guilty, before in his life. The look of betrayal that Phil gave him, it was both heartbreaking and familiar. Clint didn’t know how to explain it. 

When they saw each other again, hours later in an interrogation room they locked Clint in, “Why?” was Phil’s only question. There was nothing to indicate how Phil was feeling now, if he still felt betrayed, if they had killed the Black Widow themselves, nothing but the bland mask that Phil put on whenever he was on the field. 

“She wanted to die.” Clint responded, feeling even more guilty as the seconds ticked by alone with Phil. “I couldn’t let her. She was just like me. I wanted to give her a second chance.” 

“What if she betrays us? Would you really trust the Black Widow?” Phil asked.

“You trusted Hawkeye. He’s a mercenary, an assassin, like her. SHIELD learned to trust me, it can learn to trust her too.”

Phil didn’t say anymore. Silently, he got up and left the room, leaving Clint to wallow in his thoughts.

—

An hour later, Clint was released, he didn’t see Natasha but he heard what they’d done to her. He ran to Phil’s office, needing to hear it from the man himself.

“Why?” Clint asked, opening the door to a startled Coulson. 

“Why what?” Phil asked back.

 _Why did you risk your job for her? for me? Why do you still trust me when I betrayed you? Why are you doing all of this?_ “Just… why?” was all Clint managed to say. 

Phil clearly thought about what he was going to say, mulling over words as he was standing up. He rounded his desk and stood in front of Clint. “Because I know you. You’re Clint. You’re a good judge of character. You defy expectations. You befriend the weirdest people. You are good, and kind. You make bad decisions, but you learn from them. You do what’s right at the expense of your own self-gain. I know you think we’ve only known each other for a dew months but we’ve met, hundreds of years before. And to this day, you’re still the same man I fell in love with. How could I not trust you?”

Clint would swear he wouldn’t be able to stop his body from moving even if he wanted to just then. Not when Phil just said the sweetest words he’s ever heard.

He kissed Phil - hard and desperate. 

And when Phil kissed him back, it was like coming home. 

Clint relished the moment, committing every detail to memory. The sounds, the sensations, the thoughts, and then-

Clint pulled back, “Wait,” the archer said, his breath a little short, “ _hundreds_ of years?”

Phil tilted his head in that adorable way again before he smiled, obviously teasing Clint, “You don’t know about the worst kept secret in SHIELD?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #okay but what if#Phil int really immortal#he just ages reaaaallllyyyy slow#so like in human years hes over 600 years old#but in dragon years he's somewhere in his early forties#and hes practically invincible since you know#dragon#he's practically superman without the bright blue tights and the red cape#but he's not completely indestructible#and while its true that no force on earth could kill him#no one ever said anything about aliens#or alien tech#or loki's staff#ya see where im going with this#thats why he felt so confident going up against loki#loki's staff is made of the same thing that the creatures that invaded earth once used#the creatures that hunted the dragons one by one until there was only phil#how ironic was it that Phil has managed to survive all these years#only to die the same way his kind did#at the hands of creatures who seek#a throne in a world where there is none#I HAVENT EVEN GOTTEN TO THE PART WHERE CLINT FINDS OUT THAT HES ALONE AGAIN#that the tables have turned#and Clint is the one left to deal with the sadness of loss#HAHAAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAH#im sorry#yall should be used to this by now though#i mess stories up using tags
> 
> [Here on tumblr](http://promptmephlint.tumblr.com/post/145156448406/i-was-thinking-of-skipping-tonight-coz-im-sleepy)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clint’s feet touched the ground softly. He looked around at the entrance of the dark cave and figured, _of course it’s a literal cave._  Phil landed beside him, his wings flapping softly before he folded them back up and they disappeared. 

“This is it.” Phil gestured towards the inside of the cave. 

“This is where you live?” Clint couldn’t help but ask. Sure, it didn’t sound like the most polite thing to say given his inflection, but could you really blame him? This was Phil Coulson. Legendary SHIELD Badass. And you expect Clint to believe that he lived in a dark and dingy cave?

“I used to. I mean, it’s still mine, no hiker’s ever found this place, and the mountain is too steep anyway, but I have an apartment in New York. That’s where I usually go at the end of the day.” Phil explained, walking into the cave and lighting the torches mounted on the wall with fireballs from his mouth. 

Oh yeah, did Clint forget to mention? He was dating a real motherfucking dragon.

Phil grabbed one of the older torches on the ground and lit it before passing it to Clint with a smile. “You were the one who convinced me to get torches. I never needed them but you came over so often I had to get some. If only to stop you from tripping over rocks and bumping into walls.”

Clint huffed. Yeah, that sounded like something he’d do.

“Why’d you bring me here?” Clint asked. “I mean, if you have an apartment in New York, we could be eating pizza and watching bad tv right now.” 

“I wanted to see if you remembered anything from your life before.” Phil headed deeper into the cave where it was colder and apparently roomier. 

When the light from Clint’s torch touched the walls at the end of the cave, Clint almost dropped it. On one side of the cave was a _huge_ pile of gold and gems and other shiny things. It almost touched the cave’s ceiling. It was that huge a pile.

Phil’s eyes followed Clint’s and he made a small thoughtful sound. “I forgot that was there.” 

“You _forgot_? How do you forget something this huge?” Clint tried to match his gestures with how he was feeling about the whole thing but ended up flailing. Close enough.

“When you get to be as old as I am, riches tend to seem unimportant to you.” Phil explained. “Which reminds me, this was how we met.” He pointed to the pile. “Do you remember?” 

Clint walked towards the pile and picked up a golden necklace with a ruby pendant. He stared at his reflection and saw a younger him staring back. 

—

_Clint put the necklace in his bag along with some other gems and gold coins. He was going to be richer than the King himself. This was amazing. Who knew he’d find something so valuable in a place like this?_

_“What are you doing?” A voice asked, and Clint refused to admit that he jumped a foot in the air.  
_

_When he looked toward the source of the voice, a child stood there. No older than Clint, probably. If the kid ever got in his way, Clint could probably take him._

_“Are you stealing from me?” The kid asked, his eyes started to glow a bright amber.  
_

_“All this is yours?” Clint asked back. “That’s impossible.”  
_

_“You’re a fool if you think I’ll let you walk out of here with even a single gem.” Even in the darkness, Clint could see the kid smirk menacingly. “or at all.”_

_“Look.” Clint stared him down. “I didn’t know this belonged to you, let alone anybody. It was getting dark, I saw a cave on the side of the mountain, decided it would be better to stay here than out there. I saw the pile of treasure, saw nobody else here, grabbed some. If it’s yours, it’s yours. I’ll put it back.”  
_

_“You think I believe that pathetic lie?” The kid asked._

_Clint sighed. “Okay, fine. I heard a dragon lived up here. And I knew that when there was a dragon, there’s bound to be treasure. I waited all week for the dragon to leave this cave and earlier today, it finally left. Now, I have to take as much as I can before the dragon comes back and decides to eat me. So either you help me, or I leave you here for the dragon to eat.”_

_The kid barked a laugh. “Foolish, foolish boy.” The kid stepped closer, and his voice got deeper. “The dragon_ has _returned,” The kid’s eyes turned bloodshot red, and slowly, his shape transformed into that of an angry dragon. “and he’s decided to eat you.”_

_Clint felt the blood drain from his face, and his legs turn to jelly._

_The dragon crept closer, his entire body almost occupying the whole room. The dragon smiled, and leaned closer, his teeth larger than Clint’s hands._

_That was the last thing Clint remembered before he passed out._

_He woke up again feeling disoriented. And then he remembered the dragon. Everything in his body was on full alert as he crawled back to the wall. The dragon was nowhere to be seen and neither was the boy. He was obviously still in the dragon’s cave if the pile of gold was anything to go by, and the dragon was definitely real._

_So, why was he still alive?_

_“I don’t want to be hunted when the kingdom finds out that you were last seen here.” A voice said from the far edge of the cave. “I’ve had enough of people hunting me for revenge. Thanks.”  
_

_Clint didn’t bother telling the kid that nobody would miss him if he died, because the dragon’s misunderstanding might actually be the only thing keeping him alive. “So, what are you going to do with me?”_

_“I’m going to set you free. I have no use for you.” The kid said disdainfully. He placed a bucket in front of Clint and pointed at it. “Drink. You must be thirsty. I also caught food, if you’re hungry.”_

_Clint noticed then the dead deer lying on the ground and moved away from it. “Uh, no, thank you. I think I’ll just drink the water and go.”_

_The cave was silent for a long time, until Clint decided to break the awkward silence with a question. The dragon wasn’t trying to kill him anymore, right? It was probably okay to ask questions now._

_“Do you live alone? Where are your parents?”  
_

_“Dead.” was the kid’s only reply.  
_

_“What about other dragons? Surely you can’t be the only dragon in existence.”  
_

_“What does it matter?”  
_

_Clint shrugged. “You just seem… sad.”_

_The kid laughed. “Sad? I’m not sad. Look at my treasures. My riches shine more than any kingdom’s. Why would I be sad?”_

“ _Because you’re all alone.” Clint didn’t miss a beat. The kid’s jaw clenched and he refused to look at Clint which could only mean that Clint was right. “I’m all alone too.”_

_“Don’t pity me, human. You have others like you-”_

_“But none of them care about me. I know what it’s like to be alone, dragon. I know because as long as I could remember, I’ve_ been _alone. You could probably kill me right now and nobody down there would even notice, let alone care.” Clint argued._

_“Why are you telling me this?”  
_

_“I don’t- I don’t know. I just- I know it sucks to feel alone, and I just- I wanted you to know that I share your pain.”  
_

_They were silent once more, but this time, it was heavy rather than awkward. The dragon was the one to break the silence this time though._

_“My name is not dragon.” He said in a small voice._

_Clint didn’t answer._

_“It’s Phillip.”  
_

_“My name is Clint.” Clint muttered.  
_

_—_

Clint blinked and a smile slowly grew on his face. 

“I tried to steal from you.” He shook his head in amusement. “And I got so scared I passed out.” 

“To be fair, you were the first human to actually meet me face to face. It _must_  have been terrifying.” 

“I remember being scared shitless when I woke up, then even more scared when you tried to get me to eat a dead deer, then annoyed that you thought you were the only one capable of feeling lonely. I wanted to scream your head off.” 

“You did, though.” Phil nodded softly. 

“I did. I ended up not going back that day and just talked to you for the entire afternoon.” Clint laughed. 

“You also made yourself a bed. and taught me how to cook.” 

Clint laughed some more at the memories he was slowly regaining. “I’m glad you brought me here.” Clint told Phil honestly, taking his hand in his and resting their foreheads together. 

“I’m glad you came here.” Phil smiled. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Here on tumblr](http://promptmephlint.tumblr.com/post/149708640921/i-reread-the-the-dragons-friend-and-i-laughed-so)

**Author's Note:**

> [Here on tumblr](http://promptmephlint.tumblr.com/post/142746655896/im-doing-this-early-so-i-can-focus-on-the-last)


End file.
